Welcome to the Youth Centre
by Peter Smith
Summary: The next in my series of POV stories sees a story told by Ernie! What was Ernie's perspective on the events of MMPR? What secrets did the owner of the Youth Centre know? And what's the mystery of the haunted ice-cream freezer? Read to find out! :)
1. Chapter 1

_Hey everybody :). Here's the latest in my series of point-of-view stories. You probably figured from the title, yes, this story is told by Ernie, the jovial owner and manager of the Youth Centre. Rewatching my Shout DVDs of MMPR (which I'd recommend, if you can afford them, they're worth it), I started wondering, what was Ernie's perspective on everything that happened during MMPR? I know the actor who played Ernie passed away a few years ago, so I hope the story doesn't upset or offend anyone. My goal here was to write a tribute to a great character, who - I think - was a lot more important than anybody realised. Anyway, hope you enjoy. Feedback and reviews are always welcome :)._

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**Chapter One**

When people look at me, they only ever see the big guy in the loud shirt serving smoothies behind the Juice Bar.

That's fine by me. Honestly? I love my job. I get to take care of a lot of good kids, and that's the most important thing in the world. When I first took over the Youth Centre all those years ago, I wanted to turn the place into something special. My goal was to build a retreat, where young people from all over the city could come to escape an otherwise unfriendly world. It would be somewhere they could eat good food, exercise, or just recharge and kick back. I was actually pretty proud of what I accomplished with this place. At the very least, life in charge of the Youth Centre was never boring.

Then the Power Rangers showed up.

The Youth Centre is still important, but in a different way. I keep it as a place where people can come to get away from the war being fought literally right outside our doors. According to popular local legend, the Rangers are young men and women living right here in the city. Some people say they might even be teenagers. So it made sense that the Youth Centre occasionally played an active role in their lives. Still, I've always tried to keep the place as safe as possible. But every now and then, trouble still managed to make it through the front door.

One time in particular, it got very close indeed.

"If you could just sign here," the truck driver began as he handed me the invoice, "and the brand new ice-cream freezer will be all yours."

"Sure thing," I replied. I took the clipboard and glanced to the name tag sewn on the man's uniform. The delivery truck driver was tall and overbearing. He didn't seem to understand the concept of personal space, and as you can imagine, I need more than most. "You know, Mr Gold, it's quite strange. The rep told me on the phone they wouldn't be sending me a new freezer for a couple of weeks."

Mr Gold grinned broadly. "We're all about customer satisfaction," he said. "Boys! Bring it in!"

Three delivery men wheeled the new freezer through the Youth Centre and up towards the bar. The freezer was waist-height with orange stripes and two glass lids. The workmen themselves were far more out-of-place. Grim and silent, they all wore the same grey jumpsuits, with matching caps and dark sunglasses covering their eyes.

"Where do you want it?" Gold asked. "Somewhere out of the way?"

I shook my head. "Past the counter, over by the wall," I replied. "There should be a power socket on the ground."

Gold scowled but nodded, and directed the three workers to carry the freezer up the stairs and over towards the wall. One of them knelt down to plug it in.

"Thanks," I said. "If I have any problems, who should I call?"

"Oh we're sure the freezer will do exactly what it's supposed to," Gold said.

I glanced back to the locker hallway as a crowd of students stepped into the building. I smiled as I recognised Kimberly, Trini and Tommy in the before-school rush. The three of them were a group of my favourite customers. You'll never meet a better bunch of kids, and I felt honoured to call them my friends. Up near the bar, the freezer suddenly groaned and rattled.

"That'll just be the motor switching on," Gold said hurriedly, then gestured to his three workmen. "Come!" he barked. "We need to leave, now. Busy schedule. Enjoy the freezer." With that, they raced for the door, almost tripping over themselves in their haste to leave.

"Tough boss," I murmured, and stepped back over to the Juice Bar, passing Kim, Trini and Tommy as they sat down at the counter. "Hey guys."

"Morning Ernie," Tommy replied. "What's up?"

I nodded over to the wall. "New ice-cream freezer," I said. "It's so shiny and clean," and the three teens laughed. "I'm gonna wait until it's nice and cold before loading it up with this new range of Italian sorbets. You're gonna love 'em."

"Sounds delicious," Kim said.

"So what are you three working on this morning?" I asked.

Trini tapped the open workbook in front of her. "There's a new public art sculpture across town," she began. "I have to write a report on it for art class."

"New sculpture?" I asked.

"Yeah," Kim replied. "That two-headed dragon over near the college."

"Oh yeah," I said, and thought of the last few monster attacks in the city. "That'll end well. But here, lemme get you guys some breakfast smoothies. On the house."

"Ernie, you're too good to us," Tommy said.

"You guys are my best taste testers," I replied. "And I got a couple new fruit combos I want to try."

But as I reached for the juice machine, I glanced back to the new freezer. While I'd been talking, it had rolled an inch away from where the workmen had left it.

* * *

A couple of days later, I was wiping down the bar at the end of the day when Trini and Zac stepped into the building. Behind me, the freezer groaned, but it had been doing that for a while now and I paid no attention. Trini and Zac were walking slowly, with their gazes downcast. I know these kids well, and I knew in a second that something was wrong. They both looked like they had the weight of the world on their shoulders, and I made my way over to them as they sat down at the counter. Trini pulled a couple of books free from her yellow backpack, while Zac spun around to watch the martial arts tournament on the training mats.

"Hey guys," I said. "I haven't seen you looking this glum in a while."

Running the Youth Centre has meant that, over the years, I've had to take on a lot of roles. Trainer, chef, teacher, coach, cleaner, mentor, friend, and every so often, secret-keeper and councillor. It's not easy being young, and the thing I've never forgotten is that you never know what battles someone might be fighting. So not only does the Youth Centre have the best selection of fruit smoothies on the coast, but there's always a good set of ears readily available.

"It's been a long day," Trini said. "I keep trying to make an appointment with the head of the arts faculty at the University. She was the artist who designed the dragon statue. I need this interview for the grade, but nobody seems to take a high-school student seriously." She sat back, and brushed strands of her hair back behind her ears. "It's very frustrating."

I turned to Zac. "School trouble too?"

Zac glanced around and lowered his voice. "Kind of," he said. "It's Angela. We were on a date last week, but I had to," and he paused, shooting Trini a sideways glance, "well, something came up. She's avoided me ever since. I can't even say sorry, you know?"

"I feel for you," I said, and Zac nodded. "Trini, I got an idea. I know the guy who runs the student bar over at the college. He's an old pal of mine, and he tells me that he's friends with a lot of the faculty heads. I'll ask him to put in a good word for you. And I know that once you get one foot in the door, you'll knock 'em dead."

Trini's face lit up. "You would? Ernie, that'd be fantastic! Thank you so much."

On a roll, I looked to Zac. "I gotta ask. You tried flowers?"

Zac nodded sadly. "A huge bouquet of roses."

"Ooh," I said. "Swing and a miss."

"C'mon, they were roses!"

"Too impersonal," I said. "She probably felt like she was a project or somethin'. Trini, what's Angela's favourite colour?"

"She does wear purple a lot," Trini replied.

"Well there you go!" I said. "Don't go overboard, just something simple. Oh, and make sure they're purple. Last thing; write a card. Keep it short but be honest. Tell her you miss her."

"Ernie you're a life saver," Zac grinned, and he leaped off his seat and raced for the exit. "I gotta get to the florist! They close in ten minutes! Catch you guys later!"

Trini looked back to me and smiled. "Thanks Ernie."

"No prob," I grinned, and flashed a thumbs up. I was about to continue when I heard the slow creak of metal wheels creeping across the linoleum floor. I glanced around in confusion, and my eyes soon settled on the ice-cream freezer. I watched as it rolled half a foot away from the wall before coming to a stop.

_To be continued._


	2. Chapter 2

_Hey guys and gals, thanks for the reviews! Joker - hey! *waves* Like with Zordon's POV, I kept thinking a story told by Ernie would be really different and interesting. Rewatching old episodes helped, and when I figured out the mystery of the ice cream freezer, the story wrote itself. Anyway, here's the second chapter. Enjoy!_

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**Chapter Two**

The ice-cream freezer moving around by itself became the story of the rest of the week. Tuesday afternoon during Jason's karate class, it rolled half a metre away from the wall. Wednesday afternoon was Kim's dance class, and although I was in the kitchen doing the dishes, I came out to find the freezer over by the counter! Rolling it back, I triple-checked that I'd put the brakes on the wheels, but it didn't seem to make any difference. The next day while Zac and Tommy were sparring, the freezer would've rolled down the stairs if I hadn't caught it. Friday, the Youth Centre was shut thanks to its annual health and safety inspection. I came in Saturday morning expecting to find the freezer halfway out the door, but it hadn't moved a millimetre.

Opening up Sunday morning, I reached for the tool box I keep under the counter.

"Hey Richie," I called, turning to the teenage boy rearranging the training mats. "Mind the Juice Bar for a second, will you? I need to check something."

"Sure thing Ernie," Richie replied. I'd hired Richie a couple of weeks ago. He's a good kid, smart too. He's new in town and still pretty shy. But working here is slowly bringing him out of his shell. Trini and Kim told me to take a chance on him, and I'm glad I listened to them.

Hunting through the tool box for the level, I got down on my hands and knees and crawled over to the freezer, using the level to check the linoleum every few feet.

"I don't get it," I said aloud. "The floor's perfectly flat."

I heard footsteps behind me and glanced back to see Jason, Billy and Zac.

"Ernie, what are you doing?" Jason asked, offering his hand.

"Just checking the floor," I replied, climbing to my feet.

"Is the new freezer still trying to get away from you?" asked Zac.

"It's got a mind of its own," I said. "It moves around by itself and it's always making strange noises. I'm telling you, it's haunted."

Zac glanced to his two best friends. "Wouldn't be the weirdest thing to ever happen in this town."

"It's certainly perplexing," Billy agreed. "If you want, I'd be happy to inspect the wheel mechanism myself."

I paused, and glanced around the group. "I appreciate the offer," I said quickly. "But no. For insurance purposes, I'd need to call the ice-cream company repairman. I think I'd be in a bit of trouble otherwise. Thanks anyway."

They sat down at their usual table as I returned the tool box behind the counter. I looked up to see Tommy step into the building and approach the bar.

"Hey Tommy," I waved. "The guys are all here. Where's Kimberly and Trini?"

"Would you believe the dragon statue's gone missing?" Tommy said. "Kim and Trini are asking around to see if anyone saw what happened to it."

"Oh yeah," I nodded. "You know, I knew something was missing on my drive into work this morning. Let me know if you need anything."

It was a quiet morning, and after I wiped down the counter, I switched on the TV behind the bar. After only a few minutes of music videos, the channel cut to a live news broadcast. I glanced idly to the screen, forgetting where I lived for a second and expecting to hear about some important civic event taking place in the city. Instead, the footage showed what looked like a war zone, and zoomed in on a tall two-headed gold and purple dragon creature in the middle of a violent rampage. _Oh no_. That explained the missing statue. I reached for the volume.

"Jason! Zac! Everybody!" I shouted. "Check this out!"

Everybody in the building heard the urgency in my voice and raced over to the bar, staring silently at the disaster unfolding before us. Tearing through the city, the monster smashed through buildings and ripped cars apart. It spat fire and lightning from its two mouths as crowds of screaming people fled the area. Beside me, I saw Jason and Zac leaning in close, trying to get a clear look at the streets around the beast.

"It's coming north," Jason murmured.

"That means it's heading this way," Zac said.

"Guys!" Richie shouted. Everyone turned to him, and we all saw his attention focused on a glass of water on the counter. Every few seconds, a vibration from the floor shook the water. "It's really close!"

I turned to the crowd of worried kids behind me, and felt the weight of their gazes. I was scared. In fact, I rarely wasn't. But they needed me to _not_ be. So I took a second to catch my breath, and remind myself that we'd all done this a hundred times before. "It's okay," I said. "Everybody head for the shelter! It's down through the locker hallway! Go!"

I'd been pleased to discover, shortly after the first of the city's many monster attacks, that the Youth Centre was built over a disused bomb shelter from World War Two. The last owners had left the space boarded up and empty. While I'd initially found the shelter useful for storing supplies, in the last couple of years we'd had to use the shelter how it was originally intended, far more often than anyone would've liked. But there was enough room for dozens of people, with plenty of emergency supplies just in case. As the crowd followed Richie and I around to the shelter, I lost sight of Jason, Billy, Zac and Tommy. Then I felt the ground shaking and realised we were out of time.

Once everybody was safely inside the darkened shelter, I turned to Richie.

"I'm just gonna check nobody's still upstairs," I said.

Richie nodded. "Be careful."

I stepped back out into the training area and swept my gaze around the room. There was nobody at the bar and the exercise bikes were all deserted. Holding still, I listened carefully, but the building was eerily silent. I never got used to it. Switching off the lights, I made my way out through the foyer towards the front doors. The carpark was empty, and looking out to the street, the road was also deserted. The air was still. There was nobody in sight.

Without warning, a flash of lightning lit up the sky, and the monster rose above the town. Fifteen-storeys tall, the beast now towered over the surrounding buildings, and it turned one of its heads to blast a nearby office block. The dragon roared triumphantly, a terrifying sound that actually hurt my ears. I clamped my hands over my ears and looked around worriedly, when I felt the ground shaking again. There they were. Outside of the city, visible in the distance, the Thunder Megazord and White Tigerzord transformed and stood up. Raising their fists, the two giant robots powered towards their enemy, shaking the city with every gigantic step.

I knew I should leave. Standing at the door watching is never a good idea. You hear so many stories about people who stay to watch the disaster instead of running, and it always ends badly. But for good or bad, when the gods start fighting, I've never been able to look away.

So I stood there, glued to the spot as the Rangers confronted the monster in their zords. The Thunder Megazord swung a powerful punch, but the monster blocked the move and blasted the Megazord back in a shower of sparks. Even as the Megazord stumbled away, the White Tigerzord advanced, swinging its golden blade wildly for the beast. But with two heads, the monster easily dodged the move, and slammed the Tigerzord off its feet. As the Tigerzord rolled to a stop, the Megazord unsheathed its giant sword and raised the blade high into the air. Lightning struck down from a suddenly cloudy sky, charging the sword until it was too bright to look at. But just as the Megazord sliced its sabre for the beast, the monster lowered its heads and blasted a storm of lightning. The two arcs met in mid-air. There was silence for a tenth of a second, and then the city was lost in a blaze of light and fire.

I shielded my eyes as the explosion sent a fireball high into the sky, before peering through the smoke cloud and trying to see what had happened. The monster had been blasted off its feet. It was coughing, and great chunks of its chest armour had been torn away, but it had otherwise survived. Across the battlefield, the Megazord hadn't fared any better, collapsing to the ground sparking to join the already damaged White Tigerzord.

The monster roared shakily. Deciding to cut its losses, it teleported away a second later. Before long, the two giant robots vanished as well, and I coughed as the cloud of smoke and debris reached the Youth Centre. Waving away the dust, I caught sight of two shadowy figures outlined in the cloud, both of them limping towards me. But as they got closer, I recognised them.

"Zac!" I shouted. Both figures turned to the sound of my voice. "Tommy!"

The two guys stumbled towards me and grabbed hold of the wall to steady themselves. I soon saw that their clothes were torn and ripped, and they were covered in bruises and scrapes.

"Did you guys get caught in that?" I asked.

"Yeah," Zac nodded weakly.

"Then come in, come in," I said, and helped them both inside. "I didn't see what happened to the Rangers, but come inside before the monster comes back."

I helped the guys up to the counter and reached for the first aid kid under the bar. Flipping it open, Zac pulled free the bandages while Tommy reached for the bottle of disinfectant, with the air of two people who knew medical supplies well.

I filled a couple of glasses with water. "Here you go guys," I said.

Tommy smiled softly, taking the glass. "Ernie, can I tell you something?"

"Sure."

"After all these years," he began, "I can't believe you're still here, still manning the juice bar while the whole world goes crazy around you."

"Where else am I gonna go?" I asked.

"But still," Zac said. "The Youth Centre risks being demolished every time Rita or Zedd attack the city. You've never thought about leaving?"

"No," I said. "I really haven't. The kids in this town need something normal. Plus I trust the Rangers. They always come through for us. Anyway," and I glanced over to the door, "it looks like the emergency is over. I'm gonna go give the all-clear."

I headed back towards the shelter, and kids were soon filing out into the Youth Centre proper. Nobody looked hurt, which was good news at least, and the building hadn't been damaged. By the time I made it back to the bar, Tommy and Zac had gone. They'd left the first aid kit up on the counter, everything packed away neatly.

But as I looked around, I saw that the ice-cream freezer had rolled halfway across the floor to where Zac and Tommy had been standing not two minutes ago.

"That's interesting," I frowned.

_To be continued_.


	3. Chapter 3

_Thanks for the reviews everyone! Royal Cupcake - well, that is the question, isn't it? Don't worry, answers will be forthcoming. Here's something to consider, though ... what was the name of the truck driver who delivered the freezer, and why did he want to leave so quickly when Trini, Kim and Tommy wandered into the Youth Centre? :) Sailor Navy Ranger - what I wanted to do with "Youth Centre" was tell the story of a typical MMPR episode (Zedd turns something into a monster, and the Rangers have to figure out how to stop it), but tell that episode from the point-of-view of an outside observer - Ernie. However, while that story is happening _outside _the Youth Centre, there's _also_ a story happening inside the building. Aka, the story of the haunted ice cream freezer :). Anyway, here's the halfway point, chapter three. Enjoy :)._

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**Chapter Three**

The next afternoon, the sky was dark and overcast. Clouds heavy with rain hung low over the city. There were few people out and the Youth Centre was empty. I'd seen the city like this before, on the rare occasion when the Rangers stopped a monster but didn't destroy it. With the two-headed dragon still on the loose, everyone was tiptoeing around, waiting for the next attack. I've always imagined this is what living in the trenches must feel like. My after school crowd basically consisted of Jason, Kimberly and Billy, and they kept me company at the counter while I laminated a stack of new lunch menus.

Glancing over to the ice-cream freezer, Billy noticed the wooden blocks I'd put there to keep the thing from moving.

"Still having difficulties with the new freezer?" Billy asked.

I nodded. "I doubt even those would help," I said. "That thing has been a lot more active lately. Maybe someone greased the wheels and didn't tell me?" Even as I spoke, the freezer rattled ominously. "So," I continued, ignoring the interruption. "How are Zac and Tommy? They got hurt the other day when the monster attacked."

"They're okay," Jason said. "We, uh, we lost track of them in the confusion. But thanks for patching them up."

"I can't believe how quiet this place is," Kimberly said. "I guess everyone is totally freaked out because of the dragon monster."

"The Power Rangers will come up with something," I said.

Billy frowned. "But what if they don't?" he asked softly.

"Of course they will," I said, and leaned in close. "You know what I'd do? The thing has two heads, right? So it's got no focus, no team-work. It probably doesn't even understand the concept. So if you attack it from both sides, it won't know what to focus on, will it?"

Jason's face fell, and he glanced to Kimberly and Billy as I returned to my menus. "At least that's what I'd do," I finished.

We heard footsteps in the foyer, and turned to see the high school principal Mr Caplan marching through the building towards us.

"There you are," he said, reaching the three teens and glowering over them. From his tone, the volcano was about to erupt, and all three of the kids knew it. "I've been looking for you all day."

"Is there a problem Mr C?" Jason asked. "Can we help you with something?"

"You," Caplan began, levelling a stern finger at Jason's chest, "were supposed to help with the school's toy drive yesterday afternoon. You organised everyone to be there, but didn't show up yourselves? I was very disappointed in all of you."

Jason, Kim and Billy looked to each other awkwardly, and I could sense Caplan growing more impatient with every passing second. Caplan was one of those guys where, the longer he was left ticking, the bigger the explosion ended up being.

"So if you don't have a…" Caplan began.

"Sorry Mr Caplan," I began, cutting in. "It was my fault. See, I was waiting on a delivery from one of my suppliers yesterday morning, but their truck broke down. I sent the kids to go pick up my order. But the place is in the new industrial estate, just outside of town. I forgot to give them a map, and they got lost on the way out." I paused, letting Caplan digest what I was telling him. "So that's where they were yesterday. I'm sorry."

I could see Caplan's temper subsiding. "Oh, well, I didn't know," the headmaster murmured. "That's, well, that's fine. But in the future," and he spun back to the three teens, "call me!" And without another word, Caplan and his toupee marched back out of the Youth Centre, both clearly still seething.

"Thanks Ernie," Jason smiled. "That was great."

I shrugged. "You kids do so much, I figure you're allowed to lose track every now and then," I said, and reached for the laminator. "You guys need anything else, you let me know."

* * *

"I think that's everything," Richie beamed. "The store-room is finally clean!"

I made my way over to the stairs in front of the counter, and nodded at the pile of old crates, dusty furniture and odd devices sitting before me. "Good work," I said.

It had been another quiet day. The whole city was still on edge, and the Youth Centre had remained empty. But we decided to take advantage of the lull and finally clean out the store-room. Every business has a place for the things nobody really knows what to do with. For us, it was the store-room in the locker hallway. As Richie and I had dug deeper, fighting our way past spiders that weren't as dead as either of us would've liked, we found a lot of the storage space was taken up by old inventions of Billy's that he'd never come back for. Some of them worked and some of them didn't. The thing I'd discovered early on is that most of them were a huge drain on the power grid, so they never made it past the demonstration stage. Then there were those like the automatic cake mixer, which we'd all agreed to never talk about again.

"That should free up a lot of space at least," I continued. Inspecting the pile, I wisely decided to keep my distance from the cake mixer.

"I can't believe this all belongs to Billy," Richie said.

"I'll call him tomorrow to come and get all this," I said. "He might be in anyway," and I gazed around the inside of the building. "I'm sorry to send you home so early, but this place is empty."

"I figured you probably wouldn't need me," Richie said, and pulled off his apron. "Call me if it gets busy?"

"I probably won't stay much longer myself," I nodded.

Richie signed off, wished me a good night and headed for the door. I waved him goodbye, then returned to the counter.

The day didn't pick up, and it stayed quiet all afternoon. As the sun sank below the horizon, my last couple of customers finished sparring on the mats, grabbed their backpacks and left. The building was now deserted. Deciding to cut my losses, I switched off the juice machine, hit the lights and turned the radio off. Checking that the locker-room and showers were empty, I headed for the foyer, stopping by the doors. It was a cool, shadowy twilight, and the setting sun cast long shadows over the city.

Without warning, the noise of an explosion filled the air. I pulled the door open and stepped outside. Wherever it was, it had been close. Maybe only a few streets away. There was silence for a few seconds, then screams and shouts of panic. Before long came the sounds of frenzied combat. There was a battle being waged, and not too far away. If I listened carefully, I could hear weapons clashing and powerful blows being traded. The air was charged, almost electric. It must've been the Power Rangers confronting the two-headed dragon monster again. Finally the fighting stopped and there was another explosion. I soon caught sight of a cloud of smoke, rising over the nearby rooftops.

A flash of lightning struck down from the sky. I stepped back in fear as the giant dragon rose over the Youth Centre, standing across streets that only looked a few hundred metres away. My breath caught in my throat as the beast roared. It had been a long time since any of them had been this close. I was just about to run for the shelter when I felt the ground shaking. With a rumble of thunder, the Thunder Megazord appeared in the north, while to the south, the White Tigerzord raced towards the beast, taking to the air and transforming into its warrior mode.

I smiled to myself.

They were attacking from two different directions.

The monster spun uncertainly from one opponent to the other as they closed in around him. But before it could make up its mind who the greater threat was, it was too late. The Megazord swung high, landing a powerful blow to the monster's chest. With their opponent still off-balance, the Tigerzord peppered the beast with fireballs from its chest. The dragon lashed out desperately, striking the Tigerzord away. Turning to the Megazord, the beast raised its arms and put everything it could into a single energy blast. I raised my hand to protect my eyes as the front of the Megazord erupted in sparks and fire. The sound of the explosion was deafening, and half the suburb vanished in the cloud of smoke. I lost sight of the zords, the street, and even my car parked a few metres away. Through the cloud, it looked as if the Thunder Megazord had broken apart in the blast. Even as I stood there, I could hear almighty crashes as the zords fell to the ground, shaking the city as they landed.

As the cloud cleared, I could see the White Tigerzord and Red Dragon still towering over me, with the other four zords scattered around the city. The Unicorn was the closest, only a few streets away. As I looked closer, I saw a figure emerge from the smoke, and slowly stagger into the carpark. Reaching the grass, he tripped over the pavement and collapsed to the ground. I could see a blue helmet with the hint of a dark blue uniform.

It was the Blue Ranger!

He must've been hurt. He looked barely conscious, and I doubted he'd be getting to his feet anytime soon. I was just wondering where his team-mates were when I saw them. Dark shapes in the smoke with glowing red eyes. Moving through the cloud like wraiths, they were clearly searching for their fallen foe.

I had to get him inside.

I raced forward without thinking and grabbed the Blue Ranger's arms. He wasn't as light as I thought he'd be. But with a healthy dose of adrenalin, I dragged him back into the foyer. Once we were safely inside, I shut and locked the glass door then pulled down the safety roller.

Hopefully those things hadn't seen us. I looked back to the Blue Ranger, lying against the front desk. He was breathing behind his helmet, but didn't seem coherent. At a loss, I started pacing, then thought of the first aid kit I'd loaned Zac and Tommy a few days ago.

Leaving the Blue Ranger in the foyer, I ran back into the Youth Centre proper and headed up towards the bar. But glancing over to the wall, I froze.

The ice-cream freezer was gone.

"Uh oh," I said.

_To be continued_.


	4. Chapter 4

_Hey guys and gals :). Cupcake - Quite possibly, yes :). Don't worry, all will be revealed this chapter. I'm glad you're enjoying the tale either way. Joker - You know, I've often thought that a story told by Zedd about how he sees the teens would be really good (and probably funny) because the relationship between the MMPR heroes and villains was really interesting. So it's definitely on my list of ideas to explore :). Anyway, here__ we reach the big dramatic climax! Yes, Ernie gets a fight-scene. He deserved one :). Enjoy!  
_

* * *

**Chapter Four**

I glanced around warily as my heart pounded in my chest. If the freezer had rolled away, it would've either crashed down the stairs or be over by the Juice Bar. But it was nowhere in sight. As I stood there, wondering what had happened, an ominous sound echoed out of the locker hallway.

Large, clunking footsteps.

I moved the fastest I'd ever moved in my life, dashing up towards the Juice Bar with all the grace of an avalanche. Whatever was going on outside, things had gotten worse in here. The superhero in the foyer was, at best, unconscious. At worst, he was seriously injured, and I couldn't ask him to help. I wasn't a Power Ranger. I'm not as strong as them, I can't fight, and I'm sure as hell not as fast.

But I know the Youth Centre, every inch of it.

Reaching for the thermostat on the wall by the juice machine, I looked back as a six-foot-tall metal beast stepped out onto the training mats. I recognised the ice-cream freezer instantly, even though it was now standing on two legs with two arms jutting out of its body. It looked like it had simply unfolded and stood up. The creature's head had two glowing eyes and a vent where its mouth should've been, and peering through the lids on its chest, I could see blinking alien computer circuitry. I stepped back and felt the wall behind me. The creature scanned the room and turned to face me.

The ice-cream freezer wasn't just haunted. It had been a trap, placed here by one of the Rangers' mortal enemies. And one of the targets was lying helpless in the foyer. Whatever else happened today, I had to keep this thing focussed on me. And glancing around the Youth Centre, my eyes settled on Billy's old cake mixer, and a desperate plan came together.

"I knew you were up to no good," I said. "What are you?"

"My name is Freezerbot!" the beast bellowed, with an oddly-tinny voice. "I am here to destroy the Power Rangers!"

"Freezerbot?" I repeated. "You're not a monster, are you? You're a robot."

The beast chortled. "My masters wisely knew that it would be useless to hide a creature of great power under the Rangers' noses! So…"

"They left you instead," I finished. "A trap for when they're vulnerable. You just needed a week to charge, and now you're ready."

"Tell me where they are!" the robot bellowed. "Tell me and you may live!"

I stepped sideways towards the kitchen. This was the closest I'd ever been to one of Zedd's creatures, so I wasn't sure what the Rangers normally have to deal with. But this thing was over-confident and arrogant. It didn't see me as a threat, and wasn't concerned at all by my presence. That was the only advantage I had.

"I don't know where the Rangers are," I lied. "But to get 'em, you gotta go through me."

I raced into the kitchen. Behind me, the monster roared and charged after me, throwing aside tables and chairs. In the kitchen, I grabbed the bottle of water I kept by the door, and reached for the spare power cable hanging by the fridge. Turning to the side door, I ran out of the kitchen as fast as I could, making it to the locker hallway just as the monster ripped the kitchen door off its hinges behind me.

Reaching the pile of Billy's inventions by the training mats, I plugged the power cable into a nearby wall socket, attaching the other end to the cake mixer. The machine rumbled obediently, and lights began flashing along its side. As the monster smashed its way back out of the kitchen, I poured the bottle of water on the ground and threw it away behind me.

By now Freezerbot had reached the training mats. As I retreated, I wiped the sweat from my brow, suddenly light-headed. But across from me, I could see the condensation forming on the robot's chest.

The monster came to a slow, clanking halt. "What did you do?" it asked.

"I cranked up the thermostat before you came in," I said. "You're a freezer, right? I wanted to see how you'd do when the heat was on."

The monster laughed contemptuously and stepped towards me. It was now standing in the puddle of water. "What did you hope to accomplish?" it barked. "That won't stop me!"

"No," I said. "But I bet this does."

Ripping wires free from the cake mixer, I shoved the machine with all my might. The mixer toppled towards the monster, and as it crashed into him, the live wires fell into the puddle beneath him. There was an explosion of sparks and fire, and I dived to safety. I heard the monster's surprised shout become a slow drone as the lights above my head flickered. After a few seconds, the power shut off entirely, and the lights and exercise machines switched off. I reached over and unplugged the cake mixer from the mains power before climbing to my feet.

There before me were the remains of Freezerbot. Pieces of the robot's body had ended up scattered across half the building. Even as I watched, the light in its eyes faded away, while one of its arms collapsed into a pile of scrap metal.

I'd done it.

* * *

Reaching the front of the building, I pulled the roller up and unlocked the door.

High above my head, the titans were continuing their battle, but the fight looked almost over. The monster was injured and slow, while the Rangers continued to press forward. As the monster retreated, the Red Dragon advanced, spinning its staff in its hand and raising the weapon high – with the arc of the staff now glowing, the zord swung the weapon towards the monster. Power exploded from the staff, slamming into the monster and destroying it in a fireball that lit up the city and sent a plume of smoke rocketing skyward.

Down below, three putties emerged from the shadows. They saw me standing by the door and closed in, still seeking the body of the Blue Ranger. I stepped outside.

"This is my Juice Bar," I said, and threw the head of the freezer monster at their feet. The head rolled along the ground and bounced off the boots of the closest putty. Although the putty remained silent, its eyes flew wide.

"Don't you dare cause me trouble ever again," I finished.

The putties picked up the head, glanced between each other and ran for their lives. I nodded and turned back to the foyer, only to see that the Blue Ranger was gone.

_To be concluded_.


	5. Chapter 5

_Hey everyone, here's the final chapter! Thanks for sticking with me, I hope everybody enjoyed my tribute to Ernie Being Awesome. Son of Whitebeard - no, I'm probably not gonna do something like that, but I hadn't actually ever heard that, that's really interesting. Although you might like how this story ends anyway, heheh. Coryn - don't get ahead of me, now :). Anyway peeps, I think you'll enjoy the conclusion :)._

* * *

**Chapter Five**

I stood behind the counter the next morning as a team of electricians checked the building's power outlets while a carpenter replaced the door to the kitchen. From the news, I'd short-circuited half the block last night when I'd taken out the homicidal ice-cream freezer. But the Youth Centre was slowly getting back to normal, although I couldn't help noticing that most of the electricians were too terrified to go near the cake mixer.

I was just signing an incident form when Jason, Trini, Kim, Billy, Zac and Tommy stepped into the building. I was glad to see they'd all survived the last few days, and I stepped forward to greet them.

"Morning guys," I said, and nodded to the electricians. "Busy day in here."

Everyone stopped, their eyes widening at the remains of the destroyed freezer on the floor.

"Whoa, Ernie," Zac murmured, as the teens surveyed the wreckage. "What happened to your new freezer?"

"Let's just say it had a severe operational malfunction last night," I said. "I could use some help getting it all out to the dumpster though, if you've got a couple of minutes."

"Sure," Jason nodded, and turned to his friends. "C'mon guys." Sliding their backpacks onto the nearest table, the kids grabbed some of the pieces and carried them outside. But as Billy picked up some burnt wires, I reached into my apron.

"Billy, I thought you might wanna see this," I said, and held up the circuit-board I'd fished out of the freezer. Billy's eyes went wide behind his glasses. Something very much like recognition flashed across his face, although he was careful to disguise it. "I figure, since you're the science guy, this would be right up your alley."

"Fascinating," Billy said, glancing from the circuit-board back to me. "This came out of the freezer?"

"I did have a lot of trouble with it," I said.

"I imagine you would've," he replied softly. "And you're all right?"

"Nothing I couldn't handle."

"I'll definitely investigate this thoroughly," Billy said. "But I don't suspect you'll have any more trouble with the device." He turned to go, then looked back to me. "Thank you Ernie," he said softly. "For everything you do for us. For everyone, I mean. I'm not certain we could survive without you."

"Don't mention it," I said. The blond youth smiled, and ran off after his friends.

I watched them go, and briefly wondered if they'd save the world again today.

So, yeah.

Confession time.

I know those kids are the Power Rangers.

I've known for months. I mean, they spend more time here than they do with their families. They all share an odd habit of dashing off at unusual times. They're constantly talking to their watches. And in the early days, they transformed in the locker hallway without checking just one too many times.

I figured something was wrong with the freezer given how it spent most of the week rolling straight towards them. So when Billy offered to inspect it, I lied about the company repairman, deliberately keeping him away from it and out of danger. And if I'd just unplugged it and wheeled it outside for rubbish collection, it would've wound up somewhere else, where I wouldn't have been able to keep an eye on it.

I've never said anything because it would be awkward, and I didn't want any of the kids to worry. Plus, I know how these things go, and I'd make a terrible hostage. So I let them use the Youth Centre for whatever they need, like Jason and Tommy's karate classes, Kimberly's dance aerobics, or science fairs for Billy and Trini. They can raid the first aid kits as often as they need to, and since saving the world is probably pretty exhausting, I let them eat and drink free of charge as often as I can without arousing suspicion.

It helps me keep an eye on them. Plus, it's my way of helping out. Because, I figure, sometimes superheroes need protecting too. Even if they don't realise it.

But that's my job. That's what I'm here to do, and it's a role I've taken on gladly.

My name is Ernie.

Welcome to the Youth Centre.

_The End._


End file.
